The 2026 World Juniors have come and gone, with several QMJHL players now returning back to their club teams after representing their nations on the largest junior stage in hockey. 

Here's how some of the top prospects from across the QMJHL fared in Minnesota.

Caleb Desnoyers worked his way up the lineup throughout the tournament, starting as the 13th forward and ending up on the matchup line with Sam O'Reilly and fellow Utah Mammoth first-rounder Cole Beaudoin. 

While he didn't score a goal (he came close early in the bronze medal game, but was stopped in tight by a nice Petteri Rimpinen save), he had six assists in seven games, and took key matchups as the importance of the games ramped up. 

He's eligible to return to next year's tournament, and as long as he's not held back by Utah, he'll likely play a key role as a returnee.

Now, he'll return to a Moncton Wildcats team looking to defend their Gilles-Courteau trophy in 2026.

Jiri Klima comes home as the QMJHL player with the best result at the WJC, taking home a silver medal with Czechia. He put up a goal and three assists in the tournament, and overall was a solid middle six forward on a very strong Czech team.

He'll now return to Shawinigan, who made a fair amount of moves, both inward and outward, during the holiday trade period. They still sit fourth in the Western conference, so some expectations come playoff time will be in order.

Anton Linde captained the Danes, who got relegated to D1A for the 2027 World Juniors. It was always going to be a longshot for Denmark to survive, and Linde was one of their go-to players throughout the tournament.

He led the Danes in goals with three, and also had an assist in five games. He got to play in a bigger role than what he does with Chicoutimi, and used it to showcase his strong shot as well as his individual skill at times.

There will be a handful of fresh faces for him now that he's returned to the Saguenéens, as the team had an eventful trade period, acquiring many big names as they push for a championship. 

The Germans have three QMJHL representatives, with Carlos Handel being maybe the most prominent. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick was the most used player in the tournament, logging massive minutes.

He also wore an assistant captain letter, and used his strong skating and puck moving abilities to his advantage. He'll return to Halifax for the rest of this season, and at 18 will be eligible to return for next year's tournament.

Maxim Schafer played in his second WJC with Germany, and posted three (1+2) points in five games. The Washington Capitals draftee didn't dominate, but was a useful forward in a big role for the team that just survived the drop.

He'll now get to return to Chicoutimi, where alongside Linde (who he beat in the relegation game) will re-integrate into a QMJHL team with true title aspirations. He's also eligible to return to the 2027 tournament in Edmonton/Red Deer.

Elias Schneider played in his first World Juniors, and was really more of a depth player on Germany. He only played in two games, and wasn't the most impactful throughout, despite his strong season in Shawinigan.

He'll now return to the Cataractes alongside Klima. Like the other two, he's just 18 and is eligible to return next year.

The Latvians had a solid, if not spectacular tournament. Olivers Murnieks was a key player in the top six for them, and while he didn't stand out, he had a goal and three assists in five games.

It probably won't get his draft stock back to where it was before the season, as he didn't dominate shifts the way you might've hoped, but he was solid and worked hard like he usually does.

Murnieks will return to Saint John for the rest of his NHL draft-eligible season, and he'll still be able to play in the next two WJC tournaments.

Another 17-year-old, Martins Klaucans had an assist in five games as a depth forward on Latvia. He works hard and defends well, but hasn't found much success as a scoring forward at the junior level yet.

He'll return back to the Sherbrooke Phoenix, where he's also played in a depth role.

Mikus Vecvanags served as the backup for this tournament, and only started one game, where he allowed eight goals to Finland.

To be fair to the Canadiens prospect, that was a tough assignment after the team gave so much effort in the Canada game a day prior, once they gave up a couple goals they just didn't have the energy. 

He'll return to Newfoundland, who acquired goaltender Louis-Antoine Denault over the break, so his minutes may be reduced there.

Filip Kovalcik might've just turned 17 during the tournament, having a New Year's Eve birthday, but that didn't stop him from making an impact on the Slovakian blue line. He had an assist against the Americans, and overall played a bigger role than expected heading into the tournament.

Now, he'll return back to Drummondville where he's had a pretty solid rookie QMJHL season. He's still eligible for two more WJC tournaments (and had he been born a single day later, that number would be three) and is a legitimate prospect for the 2027 NHL draft. 

Meanwhile, Andreas Straka had a solid tournament in a decent offensive role with the Slovaks. He had three assists in five games, including a big one in a win over Germany, and two in a strong performance against the Americans. 

He used his strong skating and offensive abilities well, and will continue to do so back with Quebec as he returns to the QMJHL. Like a large number of Slovakia's team this year, he'll be eligible to return for the 2027 tournament.

Lars Steiner was another player looking to use the World Juniors as a boost to his draft stock, and he did a pretty good job at that. While he only ended with one goal, he also had three assists and used his hard wrist shot to cause plenty of danger, particularly on the power play. 

He'll return to a solid Rouyn-Noranda side where his offensive ability will be much appreciated. He's still very much in play to be selected in the top 50 at this summer's NHL draft.

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